Career criminal Tevin McNeely sentenced to five years in prison

Tevin John McNeely has more than 20 criminal convictions in the past decade — many for violent crime — and has spent most of his adult life in trouble with the law, a Yellowknife court has heard.

The 29-year-old was sentenced to five years in NWT Territorial Court last week for cocaine trafficking and, while in North Slave Correctional Complex (NSCC), attempting to bribe a witness not to testify.

“I take full responsibility for what I have done,” McNeely told Judge Jeannie Scott. “I’m sorry and if I could take it all back, I would.”

McNeely was on two weapons prohibitions in May 2025 for previous violent crimes when RCMP received information of illegal drugs being dealt out of a residence on Bigelow Crescent in the Kam Lake neighbourhood.

RCMP then surveilled the residence on the troubled street — one year earlier, two people were killed in an unrelated drug-trade crime that remains unsolved — and counted dozens of people coming and going from the residence at all hours.

Text messages offered as evidence stated clients would offer cash, or trade alcohol, sexual favours or other items in exchange for crack cocaine.

Media reports from that time stated a large early morning police operation involving possible stun grenades, with officers shouting: “You are all under arrest. We have a warrant.”

Prior to police gaining entry, McNeely — on bail for previous charges — had attempted to smoke as much crack as possible, while also telling another person to hide some in a bathroom.

The court heard a 12-gauge shotgun was seized, along with drug paraphernalia and 11 cell phones.

Then, while in NSCC, McNeely arranged for bribes to be delivered to a person to coerce them not to testify in an unrelated crime. A publication ban prevents identifying those in involved in that matter.

Drugs and cash were arranged to be sent over the jail’s phone, which is monitored at all times by NSCC staff.

“He was basically trafficking drugs while doing obstruction of justice,” said Crown Prosecutor Angie Paquin. “Trafficking drugs while in custody, while on charges of trafficking drugs, and detention for it … he continued his involvement with drug world.”

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Continued Paquin: “Many decisions in this jurisdiction have talked about how (cocaine and illegal drugs) destroyed lives, jobs, families and created addicts who lose their job, their business, their family … it tears apart the fabric of our society.

“Trafficking of cocaine preys on the most vulnerable in society and in small communities.”

The joint submission followed plea negotiations that saw a number of other charges withdrawn.

McNeely pleaded guilty to obstructing justice, trafficking cocaine, and possessing a firearm without a license.

The five-year sentence was broken down as one year for obstruction, three years for trafficking, and one year for firearm possession, all to be served consecutively.

Three years is the accepted starting point in the NWT for commercial level drug trafficking.

The court also imposed a DNA order and a lifetime firearms prohibition.

The court had heard that McNeely grew up in a violent home where people in the community would hang out to party.

Both of his parents are residential school survivors, who come from families of residential school survivors.

He was born in Yellowknife and raised in a transient nature throughout the Northwest Territories, he has three brothers and was raised by both his mother and father.

McNeely dropped out of secondary school and started using alcohol and drugs.

In 2016, as RCMP were executing a search warrant, McNeely thrust a sword through a door, narrowly missing an officer.

McNeely has an infant daughter, who has not seen her father for over half her short life.

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With the deduction of 17.5 months for pre-sentence custody, McNeely has 42.5 months left to serve in a federal prison down south.